Albany Surf School Unites Disabled and Abled Wave Riders

Max Forster-Ross has three words for his new surfing life: "just bloody awesome."

Eighteen months ago, he joined a unique surf school in Albany, Western Australia, that brings together people with disabilities and those without. Now he's in the water three times a week, knows half the town, and games a lot less.

Sascha de Lacy-Koenig created Sacha's Surf Experience to help NDIS participants achieve life goals through surfing. He teaches decision-making and goal-setting in the waves, skills that ripple into daily life beyond the beach.

The program runs two streams. One serves NDIS participants working on therapeutic goals. The other welcomes anyone who wants to learn. But the magic happens when both groups surf together.

"It doesn't matter what your background is," de Lacy-Koenig said. "If you enjoy the ocean and you love seeing these waves come through and riding them, you can connect with others in that space."

For Monique Blaikie, that connection changed everything. Two years ago, drowning was her biggest fear. She wouldn't venture past waist-deep water.

Now she calls herself an ocean person. The transformation came from showing up even on rough days, knowing friends would be there cheering her on.

Riley Coffey joined to surf with his son and became a mentor to younger NDIS participants. He loves that surfing offers something team sports can't: no pressure, no competition, just pure enjoyment at your own pace.

The Ripple Effect

The Albany program proves inclusion works best when it flows naturally. By focusing on shared passion rather than differences, the surf school created genuine friendships that extend beyond the water.

Max Forster-Ross put it simply: he feels young again. That sense of renewal comes from community as much as the sport itself.

The approach shows how therapeutic programs succeed when they stop feeling like therapy. Participants aren't just working on goals. They're living fuller lives, making friends, and discovering new parts of themselves.

For someone who once feared the ocean to now define herself by it represents the kind of transformation that ripples outward. Monique's confidence in the water likely touches every other area of her life.

The surf school model could inspire similar programs worldwide, proving that the best inclusion happens when everyone benefits from being together.

In Albany, the waves keep coming, and so do the surfers, rain or shine, drawn by something deeper than sport.